Current Affairs Quiz-September, 2020

Notes:
A new study published in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has found that Vitamin D supplements can decrease the rate of ICU admissions due to Covid-19.
The vitamin is found to be stimulating immune responses against various diseases including the novel coronavirus. The study was conducted on 76 patients who tested positive for Covid-19 in Spain. The patients who received the supplement were discharged without complications.

Notes:
India has been ranked at 105th position in the Economic Freedom Index 2020.
‘The Economic Freedom of the World: 2020 Annual Report’ has been released by Fraser Institute of Canada in collaboration with New Delhi based think tank “Centre For Civil Society”. As per the report, Hong Kong and Singapore have topped the index.

Notes:
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha laid the e-foundation stone of Arun Jaitley Memorial Sports Complex, Hiranagar in Kathua district in Jammu & Kashmir.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh and Union Minister of Youth and Sports, Kiren Rijiju jointly laid the e-foundation stone. The Rs 58.23 crore mega-sports complex is being undertaken under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP).

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Road Transport has notified regulations for upgrading emission & safety features in Indian automobiles.
The Ministry has also issued draft notifications for anti-lock braking systems (ABS), airbags, reverse parking assist and crash standards for Indian vehicles. The Ministry has stated that there are plans to bring Indian automotive industry at par with developed nations in such regulations.

Notes:
The Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar represented India and co-chaired the ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting.
The meeting was held in a virtual mode. The meeting was participated by Foreign Ministers of the 10 ASEAN Member countries and India. During the meeting, a new ASEAN-India Plan of Action (2021-2025) was adopted.

Notes:
The United States has recently banned eight Chinese goods including cotton, hair products, computer components and some textiles from China’s Xinjiang province.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the U.S has stated that the products are produced using ‘Forced labour’. It also alleges that China weakens American workers and businesses by trying to import these goods into the U.S.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated various projects under the ‘Namami Gange’ Yojana and the ‘AMRUT’ Yojana in Bihar.
The four schemes inaugurated include sewerage treatment plants in Patna and water-related projects under the ‘AMRUT’ scheme. The Prime Minister also laid foundation stones were also laid for water supply projects and River Front Development Scheme under Namami Gange.

Notes:
The Phase-III of Back to Village (B2V) programme has been announced by Jammu and Kashmir administration to commence from October 2 for a period of 10 days.
Phase-I of the programme was launched to understand the people’s grievances. The phase 2 focused on the devolution of powers to Panchayats in the Union Territory. The phase 3 aims at grievance redressal.

Notes:
As per an official Government data, more than 1600 Indian companies have received Foreign direct investments (FDI) worth USD 1 billion from China from April 2016 to March 2020.
The investments were received by companies in 46 sectors. Among them, automobile industry, printing of books, electronics, services and electrical equipment received the highest FDI.

Notes:
The Bill named ‘The Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill, 2020’, was passed by a voice vote in Rajya Sabha.
It seeks to grant the status of an ‘Institution of national importance’ to the Jamnagar-based cluster of Ayurveda institutes in Gujarat: Institute of Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Gulabkunwerba Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya and Institute of Ayurveda Pharmaceutical Sciences.